Peanut Butter Apple Baked Oatmeal

After you’ve been grocery shopping in Germany for a few weeks, you begin to realize that there are numerous food items European supermarkets simply do not sell that American shoppers take for granted as regular possibilities. Chocolate chips, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and corn meal are all examples of foods that seem standard to my American mindset but are absent from all but the most specialized German grocery stores. (They all, for some reason, also seem to have to do with baking…why?) If you go looking on online message boards for answers to this culinary conundrum, you will inevitably come across the TOP most discussed edible scarcity for Americans living, eating, and shopping in this country: PEANUT BUTTER. No peanut butter cookies, chocolate-peanut butter ice cream, peanut butter-filled pretzels, and no floor-to-ceiling, chunky vs. smooth, Skippy/Jif /Peter Pan peanut butter section at the grocery store.

Some of these people online are VERY worked up about the peanut butter desert that is the European continent. (Now I think I know how Australians feel about Vegemite.)

So when my mom asked if there was anything I wanted her to bring from the U.S. on her recent trip here, peanut butter was at the top of my list. When she pulled it from her suitcase two weeks ago, I all but held it close to my face and whispered “sweet cream of the humble legume, I shall preserve thee as long as I am able.” I mean, let the record reflect that I didn’t.

Then, the next week, I saw peanut butter for sale at the grocery store. Ha!

This peanut butter sighting was, of course, awesome, but because it was certainly not a familiar brand and I frankly have some doubts about how authentic it could be when it’s only been in this country a pretty short time, I’m still spreading my American peanut butter stash as thinly as possible. Since my precious jar arrived, I have rationed it out into three peanut butter sandwiches, one or two dips of a pretzel, and this, one of my very favorite breakfasts, Peanut Butter Apple Baked Oatmeal. (And yes, this is the fourth baked oatmeal I’ve featured on the blog…because baked oatmeal is the BEST for a breakfast that’s make-ahead, tends to use only one bowl and one pan, tastes delicious, is super forgiving no matter what you put in it, and is usually healthy.) This peanut butter apple version is no exception.

With whole grain oats, plenty of apple, minimal sugar, and low-fat milk, it’s a winner of a breakfast that also serves to remind me that every time I eat an apple with peanut butter, I go, oh yeah! These are so good together–why don’t I eat this combination more often?

Totally worth using up half a cup of my treasured peanut butter supply. Try it out and I think you’ll agree.

P.S. For the record, I have not seen any horse meat for sale here, either…which I mention not because I WANT any, but because I had read online that it was a normal grocery store item in Germany. You’re safe for now, horsies!

Print Recipe

Peanut Butter Apple Baked Oatmeal

Course: Breakfast

Servings: 5

Ingredients

• 2 c. old-fashioned oats (gluten free, if necessary)
• 1/4 c. light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 3/4 c. low-fat milk (or skim, or almond milk, or any kind of milk, really)
• 1 large egg
• 3 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. smooth peanut butter (preferably "natural")
• 1 apple, any variety, diced but not peeled

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients: oats, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder. In a smaller bowl, combine milk, egg, applesauce, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix. Add peanut butter and mix again until well distributed. Finally, add diced apples and stir to incorporate.
• Pour into prepared pan and bake 35 minutes or until the top is golden. Let sit at least 5 minutes before serving, or, to make ahead, cool completely, refrigerate, and serve in the morning reheated with a splash of milk.

Notes

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod.